Operation: AUSSIE
by super ario
Summary: Wally's parents are dragging him to Australia for the summer. And he's not too happy about it. HIATUS.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hola. Is me again. I dedicate this little thing to Mistress Happening. I had the idea in my head, but she convinced me to give it a go. And yeah, this chapter is kind of short and stuff, but the real story will progress with time. So, stick around if you're interested. And please, review if you read. It would make me really happy. (: The story takes place on Wally's POV, during his summer spent in Australia. The rest of Sector V will be featured in the story, but it centers solely around Wally. _

_Op. AUSSIE- A Unique Summer Spent In Esperance_  
_Yeah, I had to find a city that started with an E. :c_

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction. Need I say more?_

* * *

So, hi. Before we get started here, there's a few things you need to know. First of all, the name's Wallabee Beetles. Yeah, _Wallabee_. Call me that and you're dead. Wally's fine. I'm ten years old, going on eleven, and I live in Cleveland, Ohio. I'm not originally from around here, though, and we'll be getting to that in a second. But you're probably wondering why you can read my thoughts....In fact, 'm wondering the same thing. You're not my conscience are you?

I would ask you to please get out of my head; but yanno, I don't even care anymore. I'm too mad to care. No, not mad at you, don't worry. It has nothing to do with you. It has to do with...nah, you don't want to hear this...

....Oh. You do?

..._Really?_

....Well, okay, then. I guess...discussing it with somebody else might make me feel a little better. Huh? Okay, then. I'll tell you. Like I said; I ain't from around here. I'm from Australia, actually. Born there. Lived there seven years of my life. So, needless to say, I'm a foreigner. Got the accent and everything. Some people think that's cool. I do, at least. Don't know any other Australians, 'cept for my family.

Oh, right. You don't know them, do you? Well, let me tell ya about them, real quick. I live with my mum, dad, and little brother. My dad's kind of cool. Yanno, as cool as a dad can be, anyways. He's also kind of lame. My mom's basically as cool as he is. But she gets a lot more angrier than she really needs to. But I love her, either way. And my dad, too.

Then there's Joey. He's my baby brother. He just turned two a few months ago. He looks...well, he looks like a mini-_me_. He's the coolest baby in the entire world. I mean that. Mess with him and I'll kill you.

...Right. So, where was I...? Oh, yeah. Anyway, my family's from Australia. And sure I miss it there a little (but I pretty much got over it, already), and I remember heaps about it, and haven't been in a while...but, I don't feel like going. We usually visit sometime every summer, (which I might add, is the winter in Australia!) but we didn't go last year...and I don't really feel like going this time, either. Did I mention school just ended? No? Oh, well it did. Just last week. And I was really looking forward to spending summer vacation with my friends and all...

...but my cruddy parents are dragging me to Australia. Did I mention we were going ALL SUMMER?

Yeah. It bites.

Three months, away from my bestfriends, and the Kids Next Door...you _do_ know what that is...don't you? It's an elite group of kids who basically fight against adult tyranny. Yeah, hard to believe, I know...But, it's a lot cooler than it sounds. Been apart of it for a whiiile, now. Just like my bestfriends. We're Sector V. Nigel Uno...he's Numbuh One, and the team leader. He's a British kid...bald, too. Something to do with the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. (They're villians, just so you know...) Not quite delightful at all.

Then there's Hoagie P. Gilligan. He's been my bestfriend since I moved here. We call him Numbuh Two. He's sorta a big kid, if you know what I mean...But, he never seems to pay attention when people tease him about it. He doesn't care, or act like he cares. I kind of admire that about him. Numbuh Three, aka Kuki Sanban...uh, what do I say about _her_? She's Japanese. Her mom works in an accounting firm with my dad (whatever the heck that means...) And she's kind of crazy. A good crazy, though. But she's really into all that cruddy girly girl junk, like Rainbow Monkeys, especially. Has tea parties with them and everythin'. I don't know what she sees in them...I think they're stupid.

And then there's Abigail Lincoln, or Numbuh Five. She's like a big sister to me, really. (But, don't tell her I said that...) She likes reading magazines, and listening to music and whatnot. I'm kind of surprised _she_ isn't leader. She's a lot more calm than Numbuh One is. But, anyways...I think I'm getting a little off topic ,here.

As I was sayin', my parents are forcing me to go with them. I wouldn't mind going, actually, if we weren't going for so long. I'd at least like to spend _some_ time here during the summer, with my friends. But now that idea isn't looking so good. Ugh. This is totally, completely, one hundred percent not fair.

You're welcome to join me, if you like. Would kinda make things better, I guess, if I had someone to talk to. Somebody to keep me from going absolutely crazy, (even though, me talking to you right now, seems a little crazy...)I'm gonna be bored, yanno. Long flight. Tomorrow. Oh, crud. We're leaving tomorrow! I haven't finished packing yet. If my mom comes in here, she'll kill me.

On second thought....

If I'm dead, she can't make me go.

:)

.....Meh. She would probably just stuff my body in her suitcase and take me there anyways. So, I better get going. Waking up super early tomorrow. Like, disgustingly early. If I'm not going to school, I don't like waking up before ten. So, this is gonna be hell.

See you at 4 AM, sharp. Wally, over and out.


	2. Arrivals

_A/N: Hey, y'all! Here's thee second part. It's definately longer than the first, but I'm not in love with it. I really can't wait for the third chapter, though, where you get to meet everyone else. Sorry if I keep messing up the tenses; I did my best! And figuring out the flight schedule, and times was...confusing. So, if I got anything wrong, I don't even care anymore. Hehe. But uh...well, here ya go. :B Review it, please._

Disclaimer: I do _not _own KND...I _do_, however, own Uncle Owen.

* * *

"Wallabee, son. Wake up."

Hmm? _Wha...zzat_. My eyes fluttered open, ever so slowly. It's funny, kind of, how I keep falling asleep and forgetting that I'm sitting in an airport. These seats are really uncomfortable, but it's not even 5 AM, and I could sleep just about anywhere if tired enough. Which I am, might I add. Could sleep standing up, too. I've done it before.

Besides, if the sun doesn't have to be up yet, I don't see why _I_ do.

My mum's looking at me. I can see some pity on her face, like a mother should have. She _should_ pity me greatly. It's her and my dad's fault I'm like this. Joey's asleep in her arms. Lucky jerk. I guess there are perks to being two. You can sleep pretty much through anything. But me? No_, _I have to help haul the luggage out the friggin door, get _myself _dressed, all that crud...He just gets to sleep, and be dressed, and have everyone do everythin' _for_ him. He's not even potty-trained! We're workin' on it, though. Thank God. I'm getting real tired of all those cruddy diapers.

Okay, so....if you can't tell...I'm in a _pret-ty_ cruddy mood. Yanno how little sleep can make a guy cranky? Double that, and add some 'I hate you for doing this to me' attitude. Ehr, that's basically it. I'm still mad at my parents for dragging me here. We're waiting for them to call us for the plane. Boarding any minute now, I think. I could really care less. As soon as I get to my seat, I'm sleepin'.

The whole flight is like....a kijillion hours long. I don't even remember. But, it's a _lot_ of hours. Actually, we're taking more than one flight. We're first flying from here to LAX (in California!) to take a flight to Sydney. The confusing thing is we're gonna fly through a bunch of different time zones. It's gonna take a while for me to adjust. And if I remember correctly, (which I do) from my other trips, the flights are extremely boring. Time sure passes slowly when you're eleventy billion feet in the air. I'm not excited for this. Thankfully, we're spending the night in Sydney when we get there. The next day, we're leaving Sydney for Perth, and then from Perth to the town we're staying in. Ugh. All and all, it's gonna take like...forever.

"Come on, my little marsupial..." I hate it when Mum calls me that! "It's time to board."

Really? Hmm. Wow. Guess I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't even hear the intercom. Well, time to go. You _are_ coming with me...aren't you? I would like...die, if you didn't. I'm gonna be so bored all summer, I'm sure. Like, we're not even going to where _we're_ from. We're going to stay with my uncle and aunt in some little place that I've never even heard of. Apparently, they just moved there last year. It's supposed to be really nice, but my parent's definition of 'nice' is slightly different than mine...

Anyway, I've got cousins that are supposed to keep me company. Haven't seen them in years, and one of them I've never even met. (That's because he's only a baby.) Guess Joey's got a playmate of his own.

Oh...right. We better go.

* * *

Grabbing my (really big) luggage with a sigh, I stood up from my seat. Well....so begins my exciting adventure _down under._ Hee.

"Alroight, Family..." That's my dad, "Let's go."

Yeah. You heard the man! Get your butt in gear. _Vamonos_. (Ooh, I just spoke in Spanish.) Okay, yeah, I got that from Dora. My mum sometimes leaves the TV on for Joey to watch when she's busy, and Nick Jr. comes on. I really, really hate that show. But I bet you I could have an entire conversation in Spanish! Maybe next time we can go to Spain, or Mexico, or something...Thankfully they speak English where we're going. One kid in class asked me once if I could speak _Australian_. What the crud? It's the exact same thing as here in Cleveland, 'cept in Australia, Four is spelled with a Q...

_Duh._

"Hurry up, Sport." Oh, well _excuse me_, for laggin' behind. It _is _like super early, yanno. 'Sides, this bag is insanely heavy. Got like two weeks worth of clothes in here.

Ugh...strugglin' child! Anyone wanna gimme a hand, here? That'd be...great...Yeah, didn't think so. Thanks. "'Ey, Pops?" I groaned, "Can you not walk so fast?" They're getting farther and farther away from me! Soon enough it'll be like that one Home Alone movie. I'll follow the wrong family onto the wrong plane and end up in Jamaica, or something. I _did_ see a guy who had the same jacket my dad has...

"Need some 'elp, son?" Thank God. My prayers have been answered.

"There's too much junk in 'ere." I said, hauling the bag the remainder of feet to where my dad was waiting, with his hand outstretched to take it over. What ever happened to packing light?

He gave me a half-hearted laugh, and took the burden from me. Not like I couldn't handle it, or nothin'...I mean, it's just that I'm tired...

Oh, don't look at me like that.

* * *

So, y'know how I said I would sleep as soon as I got to my seat? Yeah, I wasn't lying.

Slept the entire way to Los Angeles. I'm obviously awake _now_, but I've been sleeping for like, the past two or so hours. I hardly got any sleep last night, and then with the getting up early and stuff...plus, being mad really tires you out. And I'm cruddy exhausted. If my math is right,(which it usually isn't) we still got a little more than twelve hours left.

Joey was grabbing at my face. He does that quite a lot. So, thanks to him, my dream of being in _Chocolate Land_ has been disrupted. I yawned, and blinked my blurry eyes at him. He only gave me this innocent, cute little baby face back. Yeah, I'm really annoyed that I'm awake, and now have to suffer high amounts of boredom, but that look is so...yeesh, listen to me!

"Oh, you're awake." My mum said. Good observation,"Thought ya were gonna sleep all the way to Sydney."

Pfft, "Ah wish." Wish I could sleep through the entire summer, too. Like a bear. Yanno...when they hypo...hyponate? Hyb- Oh, it doesn't really matter how you say it. Point is, I'd much rather lay in bed all summer and just sleep. Except bears sleep in the winter...don't they? Well, this _is_ winter, technically. In Australia.

But winter in Australia is a lot different than winter in Ohio. I didn't have to pack any big jackets or anything.

Ah, I remember living in Australia. Remember when we first found out we were moving. I...really, really didn't wanna at the time, but I'm sure glad we did. If not, I never woulda met my bestfriends, or became part of Sector V. Guess I might've became part of the Kids Next Door, still, but on a different team. I'm suddenly starting to miss my old friends. Haven't been to Adelaide in years; which is where I'm from, by the way...Adelaide, South Australia.

Which reminds me...You might be wondering where our summer (or winter) destination is. (But winter weather there is nothing compared to Ohio. You'll probably forget it's even winter, at all...It _is _almost July.)

It's a little place called Esperance, Western Australia. From what I've heard, it's a 'nice' place with 'nice' beaches, and a lot smaller than Adelaide. The beach sounds promising, but I can't even swim, so...

Not to mention that my cousins are gonna be in school, (Yeah, I know. The Australian school year is different than the American one) so during the day I'll have to fend for myself and hope I don't die from lack of...anything to do. Snore.

Well, Joey and my baby cousin will be home during the day. I guess I could play with them.

Augh. Kill me.

"How much longer?" I coudn't help but ask.

"We still got a long way, Sport." Exactly. _Kill me._

"Wake me up when we get there." I said, shutting my eyes and leaning my head back against the seat. Or, don't. Just let me sleep all summer. I'd like that.

* * *

So, a jillion hours later, we end up in Sydney. I've been here plenty of times, and I really do like it. I wish I could go around the city and see everything again, but at the moment all I wanna do is get to the cruddy hotel. My body's so confused. Darn these time differences. It's like, 6 or 7 in the evening, here...

Talk. About. Jet-lag. I am _so_ beat. Apparently, Joey was too, because he's asleep again. I envy you, kid. Meanwhile, my dad and me are claiming our luggage. Is it luggage...or luggages? I'm not really sure. But thinkin' about it, 's a lot more interesting than standing here. Yawn. I keep doing that. I might pass out any second now. I think I'll just close my eyes....for a...second....

....

"Son."

"Huh-wha?!" I forced my eyes open, and looked at my dad, innocently. He gave me a sympathetic look, then handed me my 'bag'. _I told ya I could sleep standing up!_

"Come on," he sighed, "We'll be at the hotel, soon." Ugh. If I coudn't carry my bag before, what makes you think I can do it, now? Ah, I guess he's tired, too. Well, as long as we get to the hotel, I don't mind.

Actually, I do. I mind a lot. But, I don't have much a choice, do I?

I grabbed my stuff and followed after my dad, making more distance between us than I had when we were still in Cleveland. I don't think he even noticed. I think the only thing keeping me awake _now_ is how heavy this damn thing is...

Left....left....left, right, left....

Oh, look. The exit. My dad's waiting for me. My mum's already in the taxi with Joey, who is suddenly very alert. Oh, look. Here's a nice man, helping us with our things. Hallelujah. I let go of the luggage handle, and crawled into the taxi, right next to my mum. My dad scooted in on the other side, and shut the door.

I can hear him giving the cab driver some directions, but my eyes are closed. I _can't_ wait to get to the hotel.

"Oh, look, Wallabee." My mom nudged me. I groaned and opened my eyes, leaning over so I could look out the window to see what she was pointing at. We passed by a few things I recognized from our previous trips here. It was really amusing how interested Joey was, staring out at the streets as we passed. I don't think he realized we were in a different country, but this was his very first time in Australia...

And, I almost forgot we drove on the other side of the road, here.

* * *

That whole part of the trip (from the time we arrived in Sydney, to getting to our hotel room) is really blur. I vaguely remember us arriving at the hotel. All I know now, is that I'm awake, and refreshed, and in a hotel bed with Joey. (Thank God....Imagine if I'd woken up with some cruddy girl?!) Yawning, I stretched my body and peeked out from under the white covers.

"Good mornin', Sport." Hmm? I turned and looked at the digital clock on the nighstand. Gee, it's only 6:34 AM. How is it that I'm not tired, anymore? Oh, right. That's because I went to bed well before 8 last night.

By the looks of it, my parents have been up for a while. My dad's got the TV on, low enough not to have woken me or Joey up. Mum is, I'm assuming, in the bathroom. We don't have to be at the airport, until 8 (Mum says it'd be nice if we got there like two hours before the plane is supposed leave. Back in Cleveland, we all slept in a little, but made it there an hour before.). That gives us time to go get some breakfast, and stretch our legs. Thankfully, the flight from here to Perth isn't going to take us as long as the other one did.

"How long is the flight gonna be, Pops?" I asked, pushing the blankets off of me.

"Should be a little less than five and a 'alf 'ours." That's still a long time, I admit. But way less than the flight to Sydney. I slowly made my way over to the window, and looked through the curtains.

The sun's coming up, and I gotta say, the hotel's got a pretty good view of the city. My brief moment of admiration was cut short, though, when my mom opened the bathroom door, and called, "Wallabee, dear. Come get dressed so we can go."

Oi. Day of Endless Flights Two begins.

* * *

So, me, Joey, and my parents ended up eating some breakfast in the little café downstairs, and made our way to the airport. Again, with the haulin' of the heavy bags....ugh. But, I wasn't in such a bad mood as I had been the day before, that's for sure. I guess it had to do with me actually getting a good night's sleep. I almost forgot to be mad at my parents for taking me, here.

But, just making our way to the airport was exciting. I hadn't realised how much I missed Australia, until I was really awake enough to look at it.

The first flight, to Perth, wasn't too bad. I sat next to some guy, who looked a lot like Chuck Norris. He was actually pretty interesting, and he told me stories the entire trip. Sure, I didn't believe anything he said, but they still sounded cool.

The flight from Perth to our final destination (hehe...thank God I didn't watch that movie, before the flight...) was only an hour and a half long. I managed to catch some Z's during that flight.

And now, here we are, four flights later (from start to finish) in Esperance. (I realised it sounds a lot cooler, if you say it with a French accent...)

We've already got our stuff, and are looking for my uncle Owen, who's supposed to be here to pick us up. He's my mum's older brother. I think he's like forty...forty-one, or something like that. I haven't seen him since I was little, but I do remember him. He's pretty cool.

"Now, where is your uncle?" My mum mumbled to me. We've been up in the sky for like seven hours, today. We're tired all over again.

My uncle Owen's really funny. He's a lot less serious than my mum is. He always likes telling jokes, and they're actually funny jokes, too. Not like the ones Hoagie tells me. He's tall, has green eyes (they run on both sides of my family) and has dirty blonde hair. Kinda like that guy waving at us...

...oh, wait.

"Well, if it isn't Long, Tall Sally..." Yep, that's my uncle Owen. That was always his nickname for her. It's kind of funny, because my last name is Beetles..."Welcome back to Australia."

Uncle Owen quickly walked over, and hugged my mom. They haven't seen eachother in years, and they always were pretty close as kids. "Owen!"

He held her at arm's length and smiled this really hugetastic smile, that made it completely obvious he was happy to see her. And then he spotted Joey. "And who's this little guy?"

"That's Joey." My dad said, sticking out his hand for my uncle to shake, "Good seein' ya again, Owen."

"Likewise." He said, releasing my dad's hand. He looked at Joey for another second, and then smiled at me. "Your brother looks just like ya."

"Ah've heard." I replied, just before he gave him one of his famous bear-hugss. Uncle Owen's the kind of guy...who's really like a kid, at heart. Can't...breath....h-help..."Agh...U-uncle Owen?"

"Woops. Sorry, there, mate." He chuckled, releasing me from his death-grip. I struggled to laugh with him, as I caught my breath. Ah, good ol' Uncle Owen. He hasn't changed a bit. "Well, guess we better get a move on! Your cousins are so excited to see you, Wals." There we go with the nicknames, again, "And can't wait to meet little Joey, 'ere." He smiled at the baby in my mum's arms, then took my luggage from me. "C'mon..." Putting a hand on my back, he guided me and my family out of the airport and towards his car...

I'm a little nervous of seeing my cousins, to be honest. It's been so long since we've seen eachother. They lived in the same city as us, a while before we moved, so I basically grew up with them a few years. But, we're all older now, and I....

...well, I don't even know _why_ I'm nervous to see them. I just am. After all, I'm staying with them for a long time! If we don't get along, anymore...then, that's really gonna be a problem.

But, whether I like it or not, my vacation's finally getting started.


	3. Reunited

**Author's Note:** Oh, wow. This update is long overdue. But I just got so stuck on it, I pretty much gave up. But I forced myself to rewrite all that I had written and update for you. So, here it is. I'm a little _excervous_ to hear what you think. I kind of took so long writing this during the day that I had to rush it in the end to get it up before I fell asleep. Hopefully you like Wally's family. You'll be learning a lot about them as the story progresses. On another note, I like making Beatles references. Did you see them? Oh, and there really is a Tupper St. in Esperance. I checked.

**Disclaimer:** Wally, Joey and his parents belong to Mr. Warburton. Uncle Owen, Aunt Mary, all of Wally's cousins, and the dog belong to me.

* * *

"...and Kristen and her husband have got their own place, not too far from here." My uncle Owen explained to us.

You might be wondering who Kristen is. She's my uncle Owen's oldest daughter, and my cousin. She just got married recently to some guy whose name has escaped my mind. From what I hear, they're having a baby. And soon. I know my uncle Owen just said when exactly, but to be honest I stopped listening a while ago. It's not that I don't care or anything, because I really do like my cousin Kristen, but the window's got me a little distracted. My parents were right. This place _is_ small, at least compared to Cleveland.

The beaches are looking pretty cool, I admit. But I haven't really seen anything else too spectacular. What exactly my cousins do here is anyone's guess. I hear people like to fish a lot, but that's not really how I pictured spending my summer. And you can just forget about surfing. I can't swim. I'm not even gonna try it.

At least the weather's nice. I can seriously see myself getting used to that part. But the rest...? Well, I don't know what it was my parents were (or maybe weren't) thinking, dragging me here! I mean, yeah, I know nothing about this place yet, so who am I to judge? But I'll run out of new things to do eventually, and with my cousins away at school during the day...uh, that doesn't sound so fun. Cruddy 'vacation'.

I wonder what my friends are doing...

My mum said I could give them a call every now and then, as long as my aunt Mary says it's alright. Oh, I think you're going to love her, by the way. My aunt Mary's probably one of the nicest ladies that ever existed in the History of Nice Ladies, (from what I remember, anyway). When we lived back in Adelaide, she would always get me and my cousins icecream from the corner store. She used to take care of me afterschool, or when my parents went out. It was always fun playing with my cousins. Especially since back then I was an only child. And for some reason, I'm really sorta nervous to see them all again. They probably changed a whole lot. Do you know what I told my cousin Jude when I first moved away? I said that I'd be taller than everyone else the next time he saw me. I could have _sworn_ I was due for a growth spurt. And I'm still waiting for it. Does that make me a liar?

In case you're wondering, I have five cousins. (Yeah, I know. It's kind of a big family). Kristen (the one I told you about) is the oldest. Baby Jack (who's a tiny bit younger than Joey) is the youngest. Talk about an age difference! Can you imagine having a brother who's only a couple years older than _your_ baby? If I remember correctly, Kristen is like twenty years old, or something. She was born when my aunt was really young. And anyway, she doesn't live with them anymore. Her and her new husband (whatever the crud his name is) got their own place nearby, just like my uncle Owen said.

My cousin Jude, who I lied to (by accident), has got to be something like fifteen now. He was always pretty cool, but you know how teenagers get...And then there's my cousin Drew (that's short for Andrew) who's a little older than me. He's twelve now. I know so because his birthday just passed. Mine's in a few weeks. Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm spending my birthday here? Yeah. Isn't that sad? I know. I feel bad for me, too. But before I totally get off topic here, there's more you need to know. My cousin Cassandra (or Cassie, as we call her) is...well, I don't even know how old she is. She can't be anymore than seven-ish, though. And Jackson...I've never met before in my life. Like I said, he's a little younger than Joey is.

They also got a dog, I think. But I have no idea what its name is, and there's no time to worry about that right now...

* * *

I looked up at the street sign. "Tupper St.", it read. Doesn't that just remind you of Tupperware?

"And here we are." Uncle Owen said, pulling into the driveway of their two-story house. Hmm. Not too bad lookin'. I have to say I'm really glad we're here, now. Better to be here than on another flight. Besides, I kinda have to pee.

I pushed the car door open and stepped out into the fresh, Australian air.

"Well," my uncle began, stepping around the car to get the luggage from out of the trunk. "What do ya think?"

I looked at him for a second, then at the house. "Ah like it." Well, what was I supposed to say? Lie to him and tell him that it looks like the funnest, coolest place on Earth and that I can't wait to spend the next couple months cooped up inside? Yeah, right.

"Here ya go, " Uncle Owen interuppted my stretching, when he offered me my bag. I took it without any remarks, because as much as I hate hauling that thing around, I'm actually kind of excited. And nervous. It's a mixture of both. Isn't there a name for that?....Oh, yeah! Excervous. There's a name for everything.

Since my mum is a woman and all, she doesn't have to take her own bag. My uncle's doing that for her. She only has to worry about getting herself, and Joey, to the front door safely. Sounds difficult right? Pfft, who am I kidding? Girls got it easy! Leaving us to do all the manly work like taking all the bags. These things are really heavy, you know. Like an elephant. Us men, carrying elephants, while she has to carry a cruddy baby. Puh-lease. Must we do all the work? Okay, sorry. I'm getting carried away here. I'm just tired. And a little sore, and I'm not sure why. Riding planes is really exhausting. Thank God there won't be anymore of that for a while.

Uncle Owen led us to the front door and slipped the key into the lock. As soon as he pushed the door open, my nose was attacked by a variety of food-y smells. Like a bunch of delicious fragrances put together in a big smorgasbord, except this time it wasn't just sandwiches. It was like Italian pasta or something, and some sweetness probably from a fresh batch of cookies. Can always count on aunt Mary for that kind of stuff. The woman loves to cook. And bake. And I love it when she does. Especially at times like this. When I'm hungry.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Uncle Owen said, motioning us inside. I followed my mum, dumping my bag alongside the rest in a pile, as my uncle Owen closed the door. "Mary! Kids! Look who's here!" The house smelled just like uncle Owen and aunt Mary's always did. I wouldn't mind making this my home away from home if we got to eat whatever was cooking, every night. I already know it's delicious. Oh, if only I had invited Hoagie to come with me. He would love it here. Besides, uncle Owen and aunt Mary are really iniviting hosts. They're always like 'Mi casa es su casa' or whatever.

"I don't believe it." A voice said out of nowhere. Suddenly my aunt Mary came around the corner, with probably the biggest smile that could fit on any human's face. "That's not my nephew." No, no. Because the nephew she knew wasn't quite as handsome as I am. Right? "The Wallabee I know isn't as handsome as this young man." Ha, what'd I tell you?

"Hi, aunt Mary."

"Well, I'll be! It _is _little Wally, afterall!" _Little_? Well, I guess I shouldn't be talking. I've only grown like...well, I haven't really.

"Mary! Oh, it's so good to see you." I heard my mum say, just as my aunt swooped in for a hug and a kiss. I returned the favor with a smile. My mum is right. It really is good to see my aunt Mary again. I didn't realize how much I've missed her until right now.

"It's great to see you all again, too. " She let out a quick squeek, "Oh my goodness! Is this little Joey? Oh, he looks so much like his brother! Let me hold him." My mum gladly passed Joey to aunt Mary, who quickly held him close and smothered him with lots and lots of baby kisses. You know, the kind with the loud smooching noises that babies really seem to like? Yeah, those. Aunt Mary is great with kids. Probably because she's got five of her own, including one that's still just a baby. And a grandkid on the way. Although aunt Mary's way too young to be a grandma. She doesn't look old at all. I thought to qualify to be a grandma you had to at least _look_ old. But she's got the cookie-baking thing down, so I guess that's okay.

"He and Jack are going to be bestfriends." Aunt Mary said. She turned and impatiently called down the hall, "KIDS! Your cousins are here. Come say hello!"

And right on cue, a little girl appeared and made her way over. Her dirty blonde hair just barely reached her shoulder, and it took me a few seconds to recognize her. No way. Is that really her? Cassie was only like three or four years old when I moved away. She looks kind of the same, but totally different. She's gotten a lot bigger, at least. In different ways. She's practically as tall as I am. And she's gotten a tiny bit chunkier, but hardly. I wonder if she remembers me.

She ducked behind her mom, shooting us all a shy smile.

"Well, if it isn't little miss Cassandra Bell." My mum smiled. Bell, just so you know, is their last name. "My, you've surely grown up since last time we've seen you."

"Honey, don't be rude. " Aunt Mary mumbled to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a gentle push. "Give your aunt and uncle a hug."

Cassie did just that, though she looked a little uncomfortable. I used to play with her all the time, she's got to remember me. I ripped the heads off her Barbies! That's not something you just forget. Although it'd be nice if she knew me by a different memory. One that didn't involve me decapitating her friends. She gave my parents a quick hug, waved at me and then scooted over to her dad's side. He slipped an arm over her shoulder as the boys trudged into the room.

"Finally, there you boys are." Aunt Mary huffed, motioning over to us.

"Sorry." They answered simultaneously. I took a good look at them both. Man, it's been a while. I instantly recognized Drew. He was like my best buddy before I met Hoagie. His hair's the same as he's always had it. Kind of like mine in style. But his is a lot darker blond if you compare it to mine. He's definately gotten taller too, but like average height. He just looks even taller to me because I'm shorter than average. And he's still just as smiley as I remember.

"Hey." He said to me.

"Hey."I said back.

He greeted my parents, and I snuck a peek at Jude. He's taller, too, like I expected. His hair is like a super light brown, but I don't know if he dyed it like that or his hair just darkened in color. His bangs are hanging over his eyes, even more so than mine. He's got braces, now. And he just looks like there's a million other things he'd rather be doing, than this. Bummer. I was hoping he would still be kind of the same. But turning into a teenager sure changes a person. Shame, isn't it? He merely nodded his head at me in a way of greeting, and I nodded back. However, aunt Mary shot him a look and he went and gave my mum and dad a proper hello.

* * *

"How was the flight?" Aunt Mary asked, as she led us all down the hall. I wanted to ask her which flight she meant, but my dad answered instead.

After saying our hellos, and making a quick stop to the bathroom, my aunt decided to show us to our rooms to get settled in. She knew just how tired we were. Uncle Owen was somewhere else around the house, with the kids. I don't really know what it is they're doing, and I don't really care. I'm just anxious to get a bed to call my own for the time being. I could use one of those right about now.

My parents are staying in the guest room. I get to bunk with Drew in his room upstairs and Joey's gonna stay in the nursery with Jack. I got to meet him, too. He's almost as big as Joey is. At least Joey's got a buddy for the trip. The only 'person' that I haven't met yet is Rigby. The dog. But we'll save that for later, or tomorrow. He's out in the back yard.

Oh, and I was right about the Italian. Aunt Mary cooked us a nice meal, to celebrate our arrival. Thank God. I can't wait to taste it.

I left my bag on the bed and took a deep breath. Drew's room is a little cramped, but that's because they moved a second bed in here for me. I would totally crash and take like a thirty-hour nap or something but they're waiting for me at the table. And I'm not gonna waste a second getting over there because my stomach is making these weird grumbly noises.

* * *

So, that was delicious. I mean like really, really delicious. I see aunt Mary hasn't lost her touch. Score!

While we filled our stomaches with the tastes of Italy, aunt Mary and uncle Owen asked us a bunch of questions. Like how school's going, and stuff like that. And there was a long conversation about Joey and Baby Jack. It was nice to catch up, and me and Drew even got some talking in. And we are right now, since it's getting kind of late and we're already in bed.

As soon as we got into the room, I pulled my bag off the bed and practically fell asleep right then. But I didn't. I grabbed a change of clothes and stumbled into the bathroom, slipped into my pajama pants and made my way back to bed, after saying one last goodnight to my parents.

And now here we are. Laying in the dark because we're really tired and actually want to go to sleep, even though it isn't really as late as it usually is when we go to bed. But we're still talking. The conversation just isn't so lively right now.

"So, you like Cleveland?"

"Yeah." I yawned.

"More than Australia?"

"I don't know." Is there really a fair answer to that question? I lived in Australia for most of my life. And the States for like, almost four years. So, I've had a lot more experiences in this country. But really, "I like them both."

"Do you miss Adelaide?"

"Hmm. " I mused, tiredly. "I guess, sometimes. Do you?"

"Yeah, sometimes. " He responded, "but I like it here."

"It's small."

He laughed. "If you're comparing it to Adelaide, yeah."

"What is there to do around here?" I asked after a short period of silence. From the little I've seen of this place, it doesn't look like there's much to do other than hitting the beaches and basking in the sunlight. Not that I was really expecting a place like Disneyland, or anything. But would it really be too much to ask for a non-boring place to spend summer? I left _Ohio_ for this.

"I take it you're not as excited to be here, as your parents are."

"Well, I just thought I'd be spending summer vacation with my friends."

"It's winter, you know." He joked.

"_Here_, yeah." I nodded, but I'm not sure if he could see it. How strange to think that my friends are back home enjoying summer without me, while I'm here way across the ocean in a whole different season. It's like I'm in a whole different world. "But not there."

"Yeah, well..." his voice trailed off, as he turned to his side. "I think you'll like it here."

I didn't say anything back to him. I just glanced over, then up at the ceiling. The moonlight was shining through the window, casting shadows all across the walls. I could swear one of them looked like a dinosaur, but before I could point it out, my eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and the darkness overtook me.


End file.
